More Promotional Opportunities and Reader Giveaways

As I move along in my career, I find it is just as important to give back to my group of fellow writers and our readers. One of the ways I am doing this is to offer more promotional options for authors and reader giveaways all of which are free. It costs nothing to do any of these but you must schedule them with me to be included in the author portion. For the readers, you just need to show up.

First up is Sexy Saturdays. On September 1, 2009, Sexy Saturdays began on my yahoogroup, XtraOrdinary Romance (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/XtraOrdinaryRomance). Everyone is invited to promote their books every Saturday all day long. I’ll be popping in and out during the day to see how it’s going occasionally or to add my own promo.

Rules for posting are simple and will be sent to you the moment you join. Please let me know if you are a reader or an author or both as the welcome messages are different. If you already belong to my group, then please look under the file section and you’ll see a file there explaining the guidelines for posting and the rules for giveaways. The only items I will mention here are these: I don’t allow drive-bys by anyone and I would appreciate contributions from the authors to the weekly giveaway which start next Wednesday. The more contributions we have from authors, the more readers we can expect to see.

Every Wednesday, I plan to hold a weekly giveaway of all the things authors have donated for the week. It’s not a requirement to give a donation but remember it is a great way to get your name out there and show the readers how much you care. A PDF copy of one of your eBooks will suffice just fine as I don’t really expect anything more. It could also be a free read you have put together. As long as it looks professional and is something you’re proud of, I will put it in. And thank you in advance for your generosity. Readers need to know we care about them in these rough economic times.

On Thursdays, starting October 1st, I am doing author interviews on my personal blog at www.lynncrain.blogspot.com. These aren’t to take the place of my weekly spot here at all but meant to enhance an author’s exposure. Blogs, because they change frequently, tend to come up in search engines more and the biggest reason I contribute to more than one. This opportunity I have named 2 For Thursdays. Each and every Thursday, I will interview not one but two authors. Each interview will take center stage on the blog twelve hours and have their two latest covers posted for the week as well. I have a set of questions you’ll need to answer for me. Again, these need to be scheduled. At this point, I am filling the spots by invitation only BUT if you want to get on the list, email me now because I will start down that list as soon as possible.

Now for readers, as noted above every Wednesday, we will be giving away ebooks and maybe more to a few lucky winners. These are random drawings and the occasional question and answer. You do need to be present to win. Also, every Saturday and occasionally during the week, we will be doing a quickie. You heard me right, a quickie. It will announced as such. These are random and will usually involve the giveaway of something from the basket or an ebook of my own.

You can subscribe here XtraOrdinaryRomance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Again, my personal blog is at www.lynncrain.blogspot.com.

Thanks and hope to see you all there! I look forward to it!

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for...the winner of last week’s giveaway is quiltingreader! Come on down and get your free copy of An Elf’s Magic!

Hope to see you all here next week when we talk more about promotion and I give another book away!

Until then...

Lynn

Filled to the Brim

Okay. Have you ever had those weeks where you’ve thought just one more thing would tip the pot? This is exactly a ‘Calgon take me away’ type of day.

Sigh. Sure I had back issues last week but those are dissipating and life is getting back on a more even keel. What isn’t is the constant tug on my time. I know, I know.

I am just like my fellow bloggers here, too committed with too little time. Here was my calendar for just today:

Wednesday, August 26

1. Write Blog
2. Senior Pictures (17 yo)
3. Answer emails
4. Contest Coordinating and Judging
5. Writing
6. Pick up DH at airport

Geez. Any one of those items can take a couple of hours and there are just so many in a day.

And then I remember a discussion I had with a NYC best-selling author, I can’t remember just who but it was at an RWA National Conference, years ago. She told me each of us have the same amount of time every day. No one gets more, no one gets less. Each of us has exactly the same framework in which to work our magic. Some of us excel, some of us fade. But all of us have to fit in what we want every day. The problem is just how we do it.

For me, I get days like today where I feel like a chicken with my head cut off because there are so many things pulling at me. The key here is actually take a big, deep cleansing breath and put things into perspective. There are things I can slide a little, there are things I can’t and there are other items which are dependent upon other people. Those I have to wait for.

So I made my list but didn’t follow the order today and that got me screwed up from the get go. I plan well but sometimes get off task and run around like a chicken. But all it took was writing this blog to bring it all back into focus. This is important to me. Writing is important to me. Life will always come at me and I’ll met each challenge head-on and work within my parameters.

What challenges do each of you have to meet within your lives to get your writing time in? Your family time? Your personal time? Give me your answer and get entered into the August giveaway for a huge basket of goodies which includes an iPod. Yeah!

I am also extending my book giveaway. If you purchase a copy of Giselle’s Elf before September 15, I will give you a FREE ebook copy of any my other elf books. Just send me a copy of your receipt to lynncrain@cox.net and I’ll email you for your preference.

And, one last exciting thing: today is the day I’m giving away a copy of AutoCrit, the program for writers! The winner is....drum roll please....the Chicks of Characterization. Come on down and claim your prize!!!

You all have a great week and I’ll see you next Wednesday with the winner of the August giveaway and another great blog!

Lynn

My Achey-Breaky Back

Yeah, I know, that does sounds ominous and I suppose it is. But as I got up today, I felt the right side of my back tweak for lack of a better word. My 17 yo heard me as well since the only reason I was awake at this god-forsaken hour (5 am) was to get him up for soccer practice. I must have moaned or something because he was immediately at my side with a “You okay, Mom? You seem to be in pain.”

As I slid to the side of the bed and try to sit up, all I could think is 'What the heck did I do?' I just looked at him and replied, “It would seem that way, wouldn’t it?” One good thing I found was the more I moved, the better it felt. So I have two days to go through before my regularly scheduled chiropractic appointment and my therapeutic massage. Right.

For years, people thought I was crazy because I am religious about those appointments. I was religious about them before they became a fad and the reason why is because they keep one healthy and moving and pain free. Matter of fact, this is the first time in about five years I’ve even had back problems at all and if my memory serves me correctly, it is basically the same thing except on the opposite side.

At that time, I slept wrong. Somehow I scrunched myself up in such a manner that I had the whole left side of my back spasming. This time, I know it is a combination of sleeping on a crappy bed at my Dad’s house , traveling in the car for long hours and more than likely, little to no exercise because my butt has been planted in this chair since I got home as I’m on an editing and writing jag not to mention deadlines.

And I know better. I thought I’d have time and I wouldn’t get nailed until the day before my appointment. But I was wrong as I felt this back ache slowly come on during this past week. If I’d have taken all those little aches and pains I’d felt earlier in the week seriously, I would have realized I need to do more walking, stretch every day and get another chiropractic appointment in this week. Dummy me. This is almost the same things as last time as I waited until it was too late and then had to have a series of appointments before I was fixed.

I’ve learned my lesson, or should have as I just dialed my doctor hoping to get in today. LOL!

This whole thing brings up the thought of manuscript health. In May, when I knew I was going on vacation, I realized I wouldn’t be close to my critique partners or anyone who’d really be able to give me good feedback on my work, I went out to look for something that could. And just like expected I was pretty internet deprived. I even blogged about it at the time as I had found the fantastic AutoCrit program. Since then, I have grown to love the program because it is so much like my crit partners and a few of my editors. I am really pleased with the program and while it will never replace the real people in my life, it will give them the occasional run for their money.

Imagine my surprise when I get home I find an email from the owner of the company, Nina Davies, in my inbox. She wrote me about what I had said in this blog at the end of May. She was so pleased and grateful for my blog that as a result, today I am giving away a free Platinum Membership to one lucky author. This is a $77 value and is good for a full year of services. If you have never seen this program in action, go check out the free trial as it will be well worth your time.

So far, I have run about 200,000 of my written words through the process. One such book is the very first book I ever wrote. I want it to see the light of day BUT realize Midnight Run needs work. Lots of work. LOL!. The first round is a chapter by chapter edit. Next time I run the 72K book through, it will be the whole thing and believe me when I say, the program will look at the pacing, redundancies and more. I wholeheartedly support this program as it has helped me to become a better writer overall.

My August giveaway is still underway. One lucky winner will be chosen at the end of the month to receive a basket full of goodies including an iPod. And this prize just keeps getting better and better. The basket I purchased is a handmade version I picked up at the Idaho Falls Farmer’s Market. It is deep and the colors matched what I saw as the perfect giveaway. This person will be so happy with this I just can’t wait to give it away!

As always, all you need to do is to comment here and be entered for my drawings. The winner of the copy of AutoCrit will be announced here next week as I want to give everyone the chance to be in the drawing which means I’ll pick a winner at 12:01 am next Wednesday. At the same time, you will be entered in the August End-of-Summer giveaway.

Hope you all have a great week. Until next time...

Lynn

Stranded in Idaho

As all of you know, I have been on a trip to spend time with my 75 yo father and to visit another friend in Canada. The original plan had been to go back east as well.

I started out by going to Idaho Falls to visit with my Dad for about a week before going to Canada. I had a wonderful time in British Columbia with my friend Tina for eight glorious fun-filled days.

I was really sad to leave but knew I had to get on with my journey. So back to Dad’s I went with the intent of going from there to Wisconsin and my next friend, Debbie. Then came the dreaded phone call – the dear husband was going to Washington D.C. to get his passport.

What does this mean you might ask? For me, it meant the end of my journey for this year as he had to go to Vienna, Austria for a UN CTBT summit. Have I made your head spin with all those acronyms? LOL! UN = United Nations and CTBT = Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Yeah, my DH is one of a handful of special people in the world that does treaty negotiations and with the election of President Obama, those negotiations have started up again. Good for him as he’s going to be hopping all over the world for large chunks of time. Bad for me as I don’t get to go with him yet as our youngest is a senior in high school. :-(

So in lieu of going on with my trip I had planned four months for, I had to totally rethink my plan. There was no way I wanted to go back to the hot, hot, hot – did I say hot? – southwest. With my Dad’s 75th birthday just a week away, I decided to celebrate the day with him before going home to get the youngest ready for school, a task the DH was supposed to do this year.

We had a wonderful prime rib dinner the Sunday before my Dad’s birthday with as much family as could be there. On the very day, we had a roasted chicken dinner at my brother’s house. It was all fantastic and made my Dad very happy.

As I packed up my stuff, I knew I would miss the surrounding farm land which reminded me so much of where I lived until I was eleven. Giving my Dad a big hug and kiss, I was on my way with four new tires purchased just the day before. I had to get gas and went to the Costco in Pocatello because it was twelve cents a gallon cheaper. My cheap Scottish husband had finally gotten to me over the years. Fill up the tank, hop back in the car and turn the switch.

Nothing. Da Nada. Absolutely nothing. I couldn’t even open the back to get my jumper cables because the whole darn car is electric and there is no lever to open the darn thing up. Sigh. This was bad. A kind soul took pity on me and with his wife and toddler looking on, charged me up and vroooommm – off I go.

In hindsight, I should have gone to the nearest car shop and had the darn thing replaced right then. But I was suddenly anxious to go home since my older son had called to say ‘Hi, Grandma’ which meant they were finally pregnant after trying for so long. Besides, most batteries have one more trip in them and I knew it wasn’t the alternator.

Well, not mine. Just thirty-five miles outside Pocatello, my car lights up like a firecracker with wipers going and all alarms blasting – I kid you not – going all haywire as it dies doing 75 miles per hour. I half expected all the windows to go down as I watched all my crap blow around the freeway. Not a pretty thought. It’s hot, it’s miserable and I can’t even roll down the damn window because it is so dead. Crap, crap, crap. I am so screwed.

Thank goodness for AAA and the hundreds of people in Verizon – can you hear me now? – behind me. I got a call out to AAA who arranged a tow with a very honest guy known as Solly from Solomon’s service in a little town called Inkom. Next call to the DH to make sure I have money all the way around because this just might be expensive. After a short thirty minute wait, I’m in the service garage.

We had a discussion and determined it could be one of three things: battery ($150), alternator ($200-500) or the car’s brain ($1200-1500). My stomach clenched on options 2 and 3. I anxiously sit waiting for the verdict. Yippee! It’s option #1. Still, it takes another hour to go to Pocatello and get the battery, bring it back, put it in and get me on my way.

Whew! I am just tired writing it all down again! LOL! And yeah, there’s a story here somewhere, I just know it: here I was stranded on a main highway, taken to a service station across from a restaurant called ‘The Red Pony’ and all of it happening in the pouring rain. Don’t think I didn’t take notes...LOL! Yup – quite a story – and if it hadn’t happened to me, I would not have believed it for one moment.

So, now, why don’t you all tell me your worst breakdown nightmare? And believe me, this wasn’t even my worst, just one of many. LOL!

Don’t forget the August giveaway of a basket full of goodies including an iPod nano. Next week, I have a giveaway for all the authors out there...it’s a surprise!

Until next week...see you all then!

Lynn

My New Release!!!

Giselle’s Elf
By
Lynn Crain

Available NOW!
Book 4.5 in the Santa’s Elves Series

http://tinyurl.com/GisellesElf

Ronan swung her up into his arms, then strode through the penthouse toward her bedroom. “Only I get to see you as you are now.” He sat her on the edge of her king bed, pushed her down gently. His mouth took in her other nipple, tweaking the first before going even lower to continue its assault down her stomach while his hands sustained their exquisite torture of her breasts. He hovered over her crotch, breath hot as his rough bearded chin rubbed the soft skin right above her underwear. “I want this gone as well.” His thumbs hooked under the edge of lace.

She was surprised by his actions as his husky voice made her shiver. “Ronan, it’s been a long time. I’ve never…” her voice came in short gasps.

“You’ll like it.”

She placed her hands on his larger ones, stopped him and closed her eyes. “I’m—I’m sure I will. Give me a moment to take it all in.”

He stopped moving his hands on her body and looked up at her from his position on the floor. “You don’t want this?”

Giselle lifted the corners of her mouth. “No, that’s not it. I want to make sure you want this.”

He was still for a few moments, his breathing raspy. “I want this.”

His statement was solid, brooked no argument. He wanted her. And finally, she could yield to a searing desire that had been growing since he rescued her from harm on a night long ago. He was all she wanted, had ever wanted. Why was she just now seeing it?

Maybe because I’d never seen him before my rescue.

“Relax. This will be wonderful.”

She gave a low, hallow chuckle, trying to break the tension, thinking she would return the favor the first moment she got. For now, she was lost in sensation. She closed her eyes. He touched her most intimate places. His tongue circled her belly button, followed by tiny nip-kisses, going down further still to caress her hip. Then he pulled the lace away, exposing the tip of her shaved crotch.

“Smooth. Interesting. Do all human women do this?”

She was brought out of her sensual thoughts. “What?”

He looked up at her face, a wry smile on his. “Shave.”

She shook her head to get her bearings. “Sometimes. They did it in the hospital when they were afraid my hip bones were cracked and I’ve kept it up.” She shuddered then, trying hard not to think of that night.

“I’ll make you forget what happened to you.”

Ronan pulled her underwear down her legs and tossed them in the corner. Spreading her legs, his hot breath rained down on her crotch for a moment before he replaced it with his tongue. His tongue licked her first top to bottom, then his mouth suckled her labia, opening those lips with that same fiery tongue. His fingers ran smoothly over her clit, downward, then back up again, causing her to quiver in pleasure.

Hi Everyone!

Help me celebrate my new novel, Giselle’s Elf and get me on the best seller list for August. From now until August 31, purchase Giselle’s Elf and receive your choice of another book in Santa’s Elves series. Just present me with a proof of purchase to oddlynn3@gmail.com and I will personally send you the book of your choice with a personal thank you!

I know you’ll love this series as much as I love writing it! Enjoy Christmas in August!

And don’t forget my summer giveaway at the end of August. Just comment on this blog and be entered in the drawing which includes an iPod. Hope to see you here!

See you next week!

Lynn

The Sexy or Not So Sexy Cover Art

The other day while I was on another loop, a topic came up that caught my eye. The subject was regarding cover art and the part of the conversation where I joined the statement had been made that cover art sometimes was just too darn sexy.

Huh? I must admit, I’m a cover art slut. I will pick up any book that shows a little skin and when I send in my cover art requests for my own books, there is almost always a picture attached where I’m showing my publisher exactly what I like. See, while I like a lot of skin, I don’t like a lot of other parts showing in my cover art. I want to leave a lot to the imagination for my reader. I want the characters on the cover to match as closely to the book’s characters as possible. And I want my readers drooling.

Yeah, you heard me correct...drooling. I want them craving for more, I want them to know my characters intimately and I want them to know that for the first time when they pick up the book. And the only way they are going to have a great first impression is to have a sexy piece of cover art to stimulate their minds.

So, with that in mind, I want to do a poll. I’ve put together twelve pictures of what I consider sexy. I’d like to know your opinion. Remember for every comment you make, you’ll be entered into my August get away. Just ask Debby who won an iPod last month.

For this poll, tell me why you like a certain picture and if I chose your explanation, you’ll get a free copy of any of my books and I mean any of them. Please realize that these can be used as background or the main picture. I usually like my pictures layered so for me, there’ will be more than one picture used. No, these pictures just spoke to me and I thought each of them sexy in their own way.

Now for the pictures (note that each have a number under them for your use when commenting):

Weren’t those great? Remember to give me your opinion on them before next week to win a free copy of any book you choose from me.

I’ll be traveling today and won’t see you all till Thursday but keep those comments coming!

See you then!

Lynn

Interesting Author Tools

I'm on my new machine and don't have any pictures except cover art...and isn't it a wonderful cover? Yeah, I'm on the elf track again. I'll talk more about this is July...

This week when trying to decide what I would write, I ran across some interesting things for writers. Some of these you all may know and some you might not.

The first is a place called Tiny Url. The website for this is http://www.blogger.com/www.tinyurl.com and it does something miraculous. It takes a large url, like the purchase link for one of your books, and makes it small. So basically, you go from this

http://www.extasybooks.net/ebjmsite/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=ebook_flypage&product_id=5045&category_id=31&manufacturer_id=65&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=44

to this

http://tinyurl.com/AnElfsMagic

with very little effort. The page is self explanatory and these tiny urls can be book specific. This looks more polished and professional in my opinion. I use these in all my promo now and it does look much better.

Last week I had talked about promotion and given you a yahoogroup to join, so you would get pinged every day about promoting. This week, I'm going to give you a list of links where promotion is welcome. On these lists, you can promote anything. You should check them out.

An Alternative Read http://groups.yahoo.com/group/An_Alternative_Read/

Cupids Library Reviews http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cupidslibraryreviews/

ebook Chatters http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebookChatters/

Hot Romance Readers http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HotRomanceReaders/

Infinite Possibilities http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Infinite_Possibilities/

Moonlight Fantasy http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Moonlight_Fantasy/

Don't forget to check to see if they have any posting rules. Most groups have but they are easy to follow. These are but a few on my list which ranges between 80-300 groups. Do I belong to them all? No, I don't but I go regularly to check them out and see if they are offering author days. It never hurts to just join then change the email to special notices only. That way you're there and will only have to make a minor change to become a regular again. And there are always giveaways on these groups. Nothing wrong with some free books for any of us.

Another thing you all may have run across are book trailers. I have been asked many times whether you need one or not. I'm not sure if an author does but I can tell you it does generate interest. Take a look at one of my trailers and see what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMsz9fmy9ls

Now what is amazing about this video is two things. One is that it has been viewed 2,136 times. To this day, I get people emailing me and asking about this video. It's a little long but nicely put together even if there is an error in it that no one caught. LOL! Oh, well, it didn't distract anyone at all since no one pointed it out.

The reason the error was never changed is that making a video is time intensive and I had moved on by the time I noticed it. Still, videos are a great way to get the word out about your books.

That's all on the promo front this week. I wish you all luck in getting the word out about your books. Drop me a line and let me know.

More on epublishing and RWA: the epublishing dilemma has been heating up over at RWAchange. The group is renaming itself in order to not violate any RWA edict on use of the name as well as to better define what they are about. The new name will be Romance Writers for Change with a completely new website and yahoogroups. There is still a lot of misinformation floating around out there, so I suggest that all of you read everything carefully before you decide which side of the fence you'll end up on.

One of the best articles I've read this week really hits the nail on the head, so to speak and I think you'll see the truth of this blog. The link is http://www.blogger.com/www.theresameyers.com/blog/ and the author, Theresa Myers, is a long time RWA member. Very interesting to see another's perspective. And look under June 25th if the blog doesn't come up correctly as the software is new and while it's the same, there are some new features which I'm not sure I quite have down yet. LOL!

Next week I'll be gone to Idaho but plan to have something up. I'm not sure if it will be pictures or a travel log but it will be something. Then I'm off to visit a friend in Canada. She lives north of Vancouver and I can't wait to go. I'll keep you all posted.

One final thing...the winner of my summer pack is...drumroll please: Debby Creager (cleo@hbeark.com). Debby, I will be emailing you this weekend for your snail mail addy. And I want to thank all of you for participating. I'll be having another contest in late August for the release of my next elf book, Giselle's Elf, coming out August 1.

Until next time...hope you have a great week!

Lynn

A New Day

This week I had really wanted to continue with my sizzle workshop but time crept up on me and suddenly it was Wednesday. Most of the time I am aware of the days but this week I am still recovering from being ill and my mind is like a sieve in all areas but one.

I have one bit of exciting news to impart on everyone. A science fiction erotic romance series, which I had mislabeled as an urban fantasy for Nocturne Bites, has found a home with Loose Id. I signed the five book contract this week and sent all the paperwork back to them. One of the items I had promised was lots of promotion so I might as well start here.

This series called the Protectors of the Earth is about a group of people who were brought to this planet specifically to protect us from coming events. These people are elementals but the reason they are elemental is new and different. When I pitched the idea I said it was like X-men meets Stargate Atlantis. Actually, I said Underworld meets Stargate Atlantis but that’s when I thought it was Urban Fantasy. In reality, I think it is more like Battlestar Galactica meets X-men meets Stargate Atlantis as there are similar elements throughout. This series is dark and edgy with lots of action and elements that are out of this world.

Regardless of what I think it is, at the time when I was trying to define its nature, C.R. and I started a search on Urban Fantasy versus Science Fiction and everything in between. My characters are elemental, which is Urban Fantasy or even paranormal, but not because they have any special powers but because they were engineered that way to protect Earth. Just how they were engineered is revealed in the first part of book 1, Of Earth and Fire. And as we all know, anything engineered is strictly sci-fi, hence no Urban Fantasy. Sigh. I really thought I had something there. LOL!

Originally this was a series of seven books which were repackaged into just five. The first two books, Avenging Aingeal and Playing With Fyre, were combined into one book called Of Earth and Fire as were six out of the seven. I’m still working on the transitions because my original idea was to have a parallel story which takes place in the universe from where they come as the transition story. A much wiser person than me told me no as it needed to be in the final book as that one would be filled with stories about how they actually got here and why.

If you think this sounds confusing to you, imagine how it was to first put together. This, like all my big series, had a lot of time and effort put into it just for the planning. So far, I’ve spent 2 months planning and another 5 months writing off and on the stories in order. This is another first for me. I usually do what the characters dictate but this time, the plot is dictating a lot of what I’m doing. Everything has to be smooth and keep you as the reader on the edge of your seat. Which means I have to write them in order as they come no matter what.

I hope you all will be interested in reading these stores. Sci-fi and fantasy are my first loves and most of my writer friends will say this is where I excel. The moment I have the contracts in my hands, I will be start to follow my progress on the blog, http://www.lc-protectorsoftheearth.blogspot.com/ and you should all go to check it out now. It has some cool graphics on it by Vexiphne who I found accidentally on Renderosity. Grab the button if you want and put it where others can see. The blog design is by Vanessa from Paperback Designs and she incorporated everything I needed and wanted.

For now, I hope that you will read the character sketches and interviews as well as excerpts from the coming series.

Until next week…

Lynn

Adding Steam to Your Love Scenes – Lesson #3

Hi everyone! I sure do hope you’re enjoying this free workshop on adding steam to your love scenes. Last week we talked about using your own experiences and how you can weave what you’ve done into your stories.

This week, we’re adding another layer on what we’ve already gone over. And yes, I'm adding another sexy picture to get us started.

Remember, this workshop is not only about writing technique but what you as a writer can do to make the experience as pleasant for you as you are making it for your characters.

Add love scenes when the characters want to make love, not when you want them to make love.

This is one of the hardest things that an author has to do and that’s called pacing. Again, I relate it back to your own experiences. What happened when you rushed something? Did it work out well? Chances are it didn’t. It’s like rushing a cake; if you take it out too soon, it’s not done, too late and it can be burnt to a crisp.

Everything has a pace, be it fast or slow. When you truly listen to your characters, they will tell you when they need to make love and when they need to argue. Part of adding steam is to know when things are right for the characters, not when a ‘formula’ tells you a love or sex scene needs to be added.

I’m a pantser and all of my stories are character driven.

Some of you may have heard of this term and some of you may not. When I started my writing career, I was anal about planning. I had charts on characters, charts on plots, I played the ‘what if’ game and twenty questions for each of my chapters. I would plan every detail to the nth degree because I wanted things as perfect as I could make them.

Now days, I write by the seat of my pants most of the time because I work things out in my head and follow that plan but not so stringently because I’ve learned to listen to my characters. I know more about them sometimes than I do my own kids. I write what the characters want me to write, which is their story. Nothing more, nothing less.

It is true, however, that there are some stories I still plan to the nth degree and those would be my heavy fantasy or futuristic stories. Those are just as much about the world building as they are about the characters or the plot for that matter. If you don’t plan those, you can get caught in your own plot pitfalls because you haven’t done your planning.

What is right for the characters needs to be right for you as the writer.

There are times when your characters might ask you to write something controversial or not right for you to write. I know it sounds strange but if your characters need to do something that you find objectionable, then maybe their story needs to be written by some one else.

Now this isn’t the same as you being embarrassed over a love scene or something of that nature. When first learning to write love scenes, they can be very disconcerting if you’ve never done that before. I know that the very first time I wrote a BDSM scene, I would get up, walk away from the computer and mutter, ‘I can’t believe I just wrote that’ and mean it. It wasn’t until I had been writing the story for a month that I felt comfortable with it.

Part of the reason that I could continue to write their story was that I didn’t feel bad about writing something done in an adult consensual situation. Adults can and do make their own decisions. My characters were adults. They had adult minds and adult thoughts. They could handle what was going to happen to them. True, you say they were just characters but to me they weren’t and it’s all about perspective.

Listen to your characters as they will tell you what they need.

This is just as important as any other issue talked about here. Characters will tell you what is important to them. In the story I mentioned above, the heroine needed to have a deep, dark fantasy fulfilled to fall in love with the one man she could. I gave her that situation and what happened in it was fulfilling for her.

Your characters need to be as satisfied with the outcome of your story as you are. Sometimes it won’t be a happily ever after but it will always be satisfying.

Exercise

1. Give me a scenario where a love scene would be appropriate for your characters.
2. Give me a scenario where a love scene would be inappropriate for your characters.
3. What type of writer do you want to be and why? (Pantser or planner)
4. Why do you think it’s appropriate to listen to your characters?
5. When wouldn’t it be appropriate to listen to your characters?

You can post the exercise here for everyone to see, or you can send it to me privately at lynncrain@cox.net. Please leave me a comment so I know you’ve been to visit. And have fun!

Until next week…

Lynn

Hello Lynn Crain!

This week we take a look at Lynn Crain. I asked her some quirky questions and got plenty of interesting answers!
Welcome Lynn!
Lynn Crain writes for the following publisher(s): eXtasy Books, Loose Id, Whiskey Creek Press, Red Rose Press
Lynn’s favorite colors are fushia and turquoise. Her favorite ice cream flavor is cookie dough. When asked if she’s a cat, dog or both kind of person and if she’d ever own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet her answers were ~ “Both. And as for owning an exotic pet, absolutely, I have three snakes now. Their names are Sandune, Psycho and Ghost.” Concerning her preference for warm weather or cold she states, “It would depend on where I’m at. I love the Carribean but I love places like Alaska as well. My favorite place is Scotland and I’ll take whatever weather it’s having at the time.” As for where she’d live if she could live anywhere in the universe, “Scotland. I love it there because it appeals to my old soul. I know I’d been there before I ever stepped foot in the place. Go figure.” In regard to what time of day she prefers, Lynn says she’s a night owl. Her favorite day of the week is Friday and her favorite number is 13. When asked if athletic shoes are sneakers or tennies and if a soft drink is called soda or pop, she responded: tennis & soda
Here’s a scenario posed to the author: “You’re at a conference and an agent comes up to you and says, “I’ve seen your name on the web. I’m interested in taking you on as a client. You have a couple of minutes to wow me to convince me that I should.” You can only plug one book in this short amount of time. What book would you plug to land this contract and why?”
Lynn’s response: Wow…what an interesting dilemma. There would be only one of two books I would plug. I’ll give both of them and you all tell me what you think.
Thank you, Miss M. First, tell me a little bit about yourself. That’s interesting. Based upon what you’ve told me I think you would be interested in my current work in progress, Where’s My Underwear, Anyway? which is set in romantic Scotland. It’s about estranged lovers who are about to find each other again. They both have secrets and the story is about their journey to find out those secrets and well as their way back to each other. The hero is incredible as is the heroine. I think you’ll like it. It’s a story that is very near and dear to my heart as I just love Scotland. Would you like me to send you a proposal package?
Thank you, Miss. M. First, tell me a little bit about yourself. That’s interesting. Based upon what you’ve told me I think you would like my Protectors of the Earth series. It’s already published at XYZ but it shows my skill at developing a very different world of science fiction and fantasy. It has gates to other worlds, alien invaders, futuristic nanites and it interweaves paranormal fantasy essentials by the way of people who are known as elementals. There are a total of seven books in the series and are very interrelated. You see the characters from book 1 in book 7 as they are all needed to defeat the evil who is trying to take over the earth. The heroes and heroines are just that because I would certainly want them on my team if I were defending the whole human race. The reviews on it were fantastic! Plus, I just love combining aspects of the two genres and even have another idea on the back burner. Would you be interested in seeing those novels and the proposal to my new idea?
Thank you for the information Lynn!

~ Feel free to share if you have something in common with her ~

Paradise Ills

I know what you are all saying…’What the heck is she talking about?’ Well, things have been going very good for me overall recently. Writings great, family the same. But I should have known the shoe would drop, the crock would break or whatever you all say when things suddenly take a strange turn.

I haven’t been sick in 17 years since I was pregnant with the youngest…not really sick…yeah, I’ve had aches and pains. I’ve had some small bouts with a slight case of the flu, migraines and other what I consider minor ailments. Sometimes I’ve stayed in bed or did nothing as a precaution because rest works wonders for a body and soul. And anyone who has had a migraine understands, functioning just isn’t possible when your head hurts so much you can’t see. But the on the whole, nothing too bad, nothing I couldn't handle. And never do I get something which causes me to vomit. Pregnancy was the only thing which cause that problem. I’d rather die than do that!

Now, with my family it’s been a whole different scenario. My husband gets stomach issues all the time and my youngest seems to pick up everything since he was in 6th grade and got pneumonia twice in one year. And since the youngest has been diabetic, he has been ill once every couple of weeks with something.

This last time, he dehydrated himself with soccer practice and then got the stomach cramps which go along with it. Or so we thought. Since he’s diabetic, we take him to the ER only to find that he has a horrible case of gastroenteritis which is apparently going around.

No, biggie, we can handle this. We make sure with his endocrinologist about what the ER prescribed and a host of other things as well as keeping him hydrated after the IVs. Never once did I think I was on the same road. I figured I was just Mom who could handle it yet again.

That was early AM Saturday and as I sit here Wednesday writing my blog, I wonder what ever made me think I was invincible. For the first time ever, I had to ask the DH to stay at home to take care of both of us. And the only thing that prevented me from going to the hospital was the fact I kept drinking even though the first day it came right back up.

Needless to say, I’m finally on the upswing even though my out bed time is only up to about an hour and a half before I am exhausted. MOF, as soon as I get done writing this, I’m off to bed again.

We think of ourselves that way in writing sometimes. We think we can do it all, be it all. No one person can be everything to everyone. Most authors’ rise to the top is a slow hard fought battle with many obstacles in the way. Some of those obstacles can be that we’re just plain sick of writing. It happens sometimes and its then that one needs to pull back and regroup.

Everyone needs to have a writing plan, something that they can refer back to when the going gets tough. Sometimes all it takes is to look at your plan, sometimes it takes writing in a different genre, taking a small vacation or even doing more volunteer work for your local writers group. Just something that will skid you along the plateau to where you’re going upward again.

In these tough economic times, I feel people giving up on dreams and whatever makes them happy because they aren’t making money or aren’t doing something they feel they should. It’s here that I’d like to steal a quote from the movie Galaxy Quest, ‘Never give up, never surrender.’ One must always look to their dreams and their inner self to draw strength.

Life is what it is. It’s not going to change or get better unless you want it to. Remember it’s all in your hands.

Again, I can see you wondering what this had to do with me being sick. I had a plan in place no matter what happened to me. I had someone to cover me at work, I had my DH answer my emails and delegate to others what I couldn’t get done, and I did what I’m supposed to be doing. Got better. Not 100% yet, but better.

And the whole time, my little brain is working on how I can get this into a story, or how I can convince folks that a good plan, no matter what the problem, is always great to have.

Happy writing! Until next week…

Lynn

From Blush Queen to Erotic Romance Writer

When reading Sara’s great story about her blush meter, I got a good laugh as when I was growing up, I was known as the blush queen. It wouldn’t take me much to get me to a number 10 on her ‘Blush-O-Meter’ scale when I was younger. LOL! I think I’m the only high school senior in my state to be photographed with the then President Gerald Ford who could compete with the sun. It has it good and bad points.

Her story also reminded me of some other times in my life when the ‘Blush-O-Meter’ would have been a fun thing to have. Or NOT! LOL!

The first one was when I was asked to bring my very first completed book to a college gang party. These were the people I had learned to become an adult with and I had a lot of apprehension. These people had embarrassed me and held me when I cried or when I was sick. There were a lot of good and bad memories with these folks.

I told the DH, Gordon, and he convinced me it was all good. But as we got closer to the party, the more trepidation I was feeling.

Once there, the manuscript was being handed around and then I started getting comments like, 'great job' and 'I've never know anyone who completed a whole book before' and then I saw one of my old college boyfriends reading it.

He walked up to me and stated, "You know if you'd did that to me, maybe we'd still be together."

I could feel my face turning warm and I had to be very careful here. If I said the wrong thing, he’d think I still liked him or something. "Maybe I would have if you deserved that type of treatment."

"Gordon must be a very lucky man." He walked away as the DH walked up.

"What's wrong with him?" DH asks.

"He got to the love scene."

"Oh."

"He said you were a lucky guy."

"He did." DH puffs up and says, "I think I'll go talk to the guys."

The college girl friends came up. "What's up with the guys? And how about you…you’re blushing!"

"They're all talking about the love scene.”

“No wonder they’re blushing!"

I looked at them and arched a brow. “Maybe I should remind all of your husbands we all went to college together. After all I didn’t win a knockwurst contest like some of you have.” Every other woman at the party had a face redder than mine as they remembered that particular time in our lives. LOL! Revenge is soooo sweet!

The next big time that I can remember me really, really blushing was when I wrote my first BDSM story about five years ago. It was also the last time that I can remember me having that particular affliction. I had to do a lot of what I considered covert research as I prepared to write this story of a woman's darkest fantasies. Finally, I got the courage to just sit down and get it done. The whole day, I would write a sentence and get up to pace, wondering what I was doing since I knew nothing of that world. Still, I plugged away at it until I eventually got it right. It was the first thing I sold to eXtasy books. I was really surprised.

But half way into the process my husband shocked me by showing up in my office. My face went from zero to RED in the span of less than 10 seconds.

“Something wrong?”

“No, why are you asking?”

He gives me his quirky smile and says, “There are only a few times I’ve ever seen you blush in twenty years.”

I sat still. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s when I caught you doing something you shouldn’t and when you’re thinking about sex.”

I gasped. “What makes you think I’m doing something I shouldn’t? I’m an adult.”

“With an antiquated idea about sex sometimes. If you’re going to really be an erotic romance writer, you have some changing to do.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m sure that practice will help!”

I roll my eyes and tell him nothing is going to happen until I finish this story.

That very day, my whole attitude changed. I wasn’t ashamed of my writing at all. It was just that I was brought up in the Bible belt and as anyone who has grown up there knows, the fear of God and sex can be pounded into one from the moment you walk. And lordy, the brimstone…LOL! There is absolutely nothing wrong with sex. It’s a natural thing and we have such a backward sexual outlook in America that it took some retraining on my part to not let it worry me at all. Now, I barely bat an eye. There's a private me and a writer me.

I advertise my very sexy books all the time and I do write to every heat level as the story dictates. I am passionate about all my books as every author should be. If you’re embarrassed about it, you don’t need to be writing it at all. I write what I love and nothing compromises that position. Sometimes my characters want the full monty and others, they want it very sweet.

Now it’s my DH’s turn to blush every time he drives my car. My license plate says ERWRTER and he’s been asked many times what it means. I'll show you all a picture sometime. He tells them the truth…it means…Erotic Romance Writer. The moment he tells the women, they get a gleam in their eye and say ‘Ah’ while the men just shake their heads and walk away, knowing they wouldn't be caught dead in my car.

Lynn

Week For Change

Sigh. You know it’s bad when I start a paragraph with a sigh. This week has been incredibly stressful for me. But along with the stress, there are rays of light and hope.

First let me apologize for being so late today. My diabetic 17 yo has been ill since last week. And those of you who know me, know I don’t ever say much. Life is what it is and we ALL must deal with the cards we are dealt. Life is just that way. Most of the time, he is not ill and is very well managed diabetically. BUT every once in a while, he’ll get something that just hangs on and longer since he was diagnosed last year.

BUT for me the diabetes isn’t the problem. It’s the kid who wants his mommy to be the ‘call and fetch girl’ which his mommy blithely replies, ‘I ain’t no one’s call and fetch girl including Daddy’s!” More prevalent than that is the undying faith that Mom can fix everything. Sigh. Now you know why I’m sighing. Oh, if it were only true!

Now, yesterday was a day of incredible change. And one I think that we need as a country and a people. Sometimes, it takes a total shakeup to get where we need to be. Me and mine are very, very lucky. We all have decent jobs and are okay as far finances. But the change President Barack Obama, our first African-American one, promises has been a long time coming. And this is good as so many of my writing friends are losing jobs and have a very unstable situation right now. We all need to remember this and think only good thoughts for them.

But the best new I’ve gotten was two-fold. First, early last week, I had turned a project into one of my publishers, Loose Id, which was near and dear to my heart. It’s called the Protectors of the Earth series and had been recently rejected by eHarlequin because it had some major sci-fi elements involved and Nocturne Bites doesn’t have any of those elements. I, however, was hopefully. While I did get rejected, I was invited to submit again which made me very, very happy.

Now to the submission. Well, it took a few days BUT my editor was delighted enough to push it on up the line. Which is great. I had had a few ideas which weren’t well received and didn’t go anywhere. This was a very good sign!

The last one is something that made me very happy and I was very surprised. I had decided late last year that I was going to make a very concentrated effort to lose weight. And I started in November with a bang. I decided to go to a Naturopath because I wanted to do everything naturally. I don’t know about you but the holidays are usually a time when I don’t lose. I am lucky if I don’t gain.

And this year, I didn’t gain an ounce. I lost…not a lot…but I lost. Yippee, yippee, YIPPEE! I just couldn’t believe it because I thought the holiday had been more horrible than I imagined. Seems now I have so much more to be thankful for than ever. If you want to track me and my weight lose journey, you can find me at my other blog, http://journeyfromfat2fit.blogspot.com/ where I try to post all the things that are happening to me in that area. Right now, it’s sparse because I’m trying to catch up from November. But I’ve had so many people ask me, including my doctor, that I figured this would be the easiest for all to see.

So for me, this year is starting with a bang I can live with. How’s your year going so far?

Hope it’s a great one! See you next week!

Lynn

The Singles Travel Club

Alright, I finally have something to rival AJ in the weird and different department. But I digress; I need to start from the beginning.

Those of you, who know me, know I do way, way too much. I volunteer for many functions within my writers groups to which I belong. Take this week and month for instance. Last year, I volunteered to chair the EPICon conference right here in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And yes, that means lots and lots of work. I have to help in every aspect of the con. That means PR, picking the venue, food…you name it and it has my signature on it somewhere.

So while we're all working on putting more 'umff' in this blog, in the back of my mind is this conference and what I need to do for it. Never mind that I have a couple of books due and two talks that I'm giving on Saturday. This conference is a big deal and this is a very, very bad year to do it for a variety of reasons. One, people are financially strapped and two, things I thought were being done, weren't.

So all this weekend, actually beginning late last week, my mind has been flurry of activity. In other words, I'm scattered right now. BUT I can usually get on track with a list of things to do. But never mind all that…I can deal with those…it just means I've got to hustle my butt and go to some of those local writers meetings. While there I've got to do the smoozing thing, pass out brochures and let everyone know just how wonderful EPICon is.

And for those of you who've never gone, here's my shameless plug. EPICon 2009 is happening this year at the beautiful Tuscan village of MonteLago Resort in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada. That’s a picture of it at the top. While there, an author can learn everything, well, almost everything, about the epublishing world. Along with that, we have a kick-ass keynote speaker in one Penny Sansevieri, author of 'Red Hot Internet Publicity' and man, does this woman know her stuff! Penny is absolutely great! The conference is March 5-8, 2009 and you can learn more about it at http://www.epic-conference.com/. Since, we're all green authors, we should attend if possible. If nothing else, to smooze and visit with each other. I love meeting and hanging out with my fellow authors and frankly, what better place to do it?

Again, I digress. Sorry. Anyway, on my list were three writers meetings this week to attend in hopes I could entice someone to attend EPICon. They are the Las Vegas Writers Meeting, Las Vegas Screenwriters Meeting and my RWA meeting. I just found out about a fourth meeting on Sunday, a Sisters in Crime chapter meeting that I've decided I'll invade as well.

So tonight I get it together, I make some brochures, get all my regular work done and make sure the DH knows where I'm going so he won't worry. I also mention to CR that I'm going to this meeting and she says, "Isn't that on Thursday?"

"Nope," I say, "it is tonight and I've got to get my butt in gear." So I take a nap, take a shower and get it together so I'm out the door by 5:45 which just gives me enough time to get there and get comfortable. One the way I talk on my hands free phone to a friend and in no time I arrive. Grabbing my stuff, I'm dismayed to note that I am actually a few minutes late but no matter, I've been with these people before and usually enjoy myself.

I go in and don't recognize anyone but this group is rather large and I can see this is a big gathering tonight. I get a name tag and listen to the speaker who's talking about doing a reading. She's going over the important of the details she needs in order to give you a correct one. All interesting stuff. The sign-in person tells me to fill out the forms and bring them back at the end.
No problem. I can do that.

I go sit down and scan the room. Not one familiar face. That's odd, I'm not so far gone that I can't recognize any one. I flip through my brochures about to take them out and decide I should really listen to the speaker. So, I scan the room again and nada. Surely, not every person I know is gone today?

Mentally, shaking myself. I pull out the form. Maybe I should fill this out because the speaker is now getting on familiar territory and it's not so interesting any more. I glance down once, then up. That can't be right. I look down again. Hmm. The dues aren't the right amount. No one every lowers their dues. I look up a little more and see the name of the group: Singles Travel Club of Las Vegas.

I shake my head and rest my chin on my hand. Okay, so maybe I need to do a little observation for my books, you never know what you'll see, right? I really begin to look at the people and by this time, I am trying to hold it in. At first I think, if this is the best that Vegas has to offer, there's a problem. Then I look at the form again. It's the over 60 Singles Travel Club of Las Vegas.

Oookkkaaayyy. Even a little old for me right now. I quietly pick up my stuff and go back to the sign-in table. I give the paper back and tell them to mark my name off because I've come to the wrong meeting. Sigh. Once in my car, I call the dear husband and let him know. What started as a snicker became a laugh. He couldn't believe it. I told him to make sure I really had a writers meeting before I went to the next one and started home. The trip is 45 minutes and the whole time I reflect on just why I was so gung-ho that the meeting was tonight.

I get home and email CR. Know what she says to me, "I can just see your face when you discover the mistake." The exact same first words out of the DH's mouth. Geez, are they in cahoots? LOL!

Sigh. Just chalk one up for the dodo who definitely needs to volunteer less and sleep more.

See ya next week! Or my new partner in crime…it'll be a surprise!

Lynn

New Year Blues

I love the holidays and am the first one to say so. During the time between Christmas and New Year’s I spend a lot of time reflecting on what I need to do in my life and for my writing career. Most years I have a wonderful time of reflection and planning without the usual “issues” of my every day life.

No so this year as my family tended to be very, very needy during my “me” time. And now I find myself in a place I can only call the blues. Life is bearing down on me and I had to come up with something that get me out of the funk that I found myself.

That “something” turned out to be an email I had received from one of my publishers. This particular publisher noted their sales were up 40% during the year. Yeah, you heard me right, 40%. Along with that, they were adding a print option for books of certain length and an advance.

That information was the push I needed to do my yearly reflection of my life and career. I came up with a short list I will share with you. Here it is:

1. Get an agent – This is something I’ve had on the back burner since my original agent dropped 50 of us. Now the time has come to start the search again.

2. Volunteer less – Those of you who know me totally understand this. I do a lot of volunteering for the various writer groups I belong to at the moment. Most of the time, it’s little things that can be added to my day. But occasionally, I do something big like EPICon 2009. After my time is done, I’m going to say ‘no’ more and start doing more things for me again.

3. Submit at least 2 stories/novels to eHarlequin – I received a personal rejection from the people at Nocturne Bites. I would be stupid not to follow this one up.

4. Finish something every month – Yeah, I know, very ambitious. But this is something I need to be doing. I write very fast but don’t push myself as much as I should. That ends this month.

5. Promote more – This is something I try and do daily. But this year, I’ve got to get rid of the word ‘try’ and start pushing my work a little more. I’ll share some of those ideas as I do them this year as they are really innovative. The first one is going on right now. Go take a look at Night Owl Romance and you’ll see the first item in that effort.

Every year, every writer needs to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Every writer needs to have a plan. Every writer needs to work that plan. And that plan doesn’t mean you have to be so anal, you don’t have the space to breathe. No, just the opposite. Every writer needs to be flexible within the parameters they have set for themselves.

And within those parameters, if you just stick to your plan for at least 50% of the time, you’ll be a much better writer.

Experience the magic of being a writer. Until, next week!

Lynn

Another Holiday Season

I thought I would be pushing my book this week but I got waylaid on the way by the very holiday I love to write about. Now, don’t give me wrong, I really, really love this holiday but you have to understand where I live.

I live like many authors on this blog, in the normally hot to warm southwest. This week that all came crashing down as when I went to join said authors for lunch, I found myself in a blizzard. Yup, you heard me, a blizzard. I actually took pictures but haven’t downloaded them yet. When I do, I’ll post one with whatever I’m doing next week.

Now a lot of you already live in areas where it snows. Where I live, a snowstorm of any kind almost shuts us down. People out here don’t even know or understand how to drive in weather. Most of them are traveling at almost record speeds and don’t understand when they lose traction. Even in my four-wheel drive, I slowed down.

Still, the desert in the snow is very pretty because if nothing else it adds color. Doesn’t matter that the color is white, it is a whole lot prettier than the ugly brown we have. And I love it. I just called the DH to say, ‘It’s snowing here!’ and his reply was ‘It’s not here.’ Too bad for him in some ways but considering he works almost 30 miles away, I’m glad he won’t be out with the idi – sorry – people who drive the Las Vegas freeways. Can’t help it. LOL!

Now for a little holiday cheer, here’s a couple of excerpts from my new book An Elf’s Magic…I hope you enjoy!

Available NOW at eXtasy Books!
http://tinyurl.com/63jwjg
Book 4 in the Santa’s Elves Series

Excerpt #1

“Dance with me,” a seductive voice said close to his ear.

Tingles traipsed through his insides and his body tightened in response to the seductive nature of her voice. “What?” Instant attraction to the female caught him off guard. He turned his head and his mouth brushed against a pair of soft pink lips as an exotic scent wrapped itself around him.

“I said, dance with me.” A pair of beautiful brown eyes stared up at him.

“Do I know you?” The staccato beat of his heart tapped against his chest and he hoped she didn’t notice. She took a breath and the mere act turned him on even more.

“We met in Boston. You’re Cuinn Locklin and I’m Lacey Sinclair. I’m a friend of your cousin’s. We met at a party, had a drink and even talked about going out sometime. Unfortunately that never happened.” She smiled and arched her eyebrow in what seemed to be an open invitation. “Yet.”

His gaze widened. “I remember. How did you get here?”

“The sleigh picked us up.”

“What I meant to say is, what are you doing here? I don’t recall you knowing my sister, Aingeal.”

She flipped her honey blonde hair off her face. “You mean what’s a human doing here, right?” She shrugged. “I told her she could practice her amnesia spell on me. You know the one where you make the person forget everything that’s happened at an event?”

“I’m aware of it. But you shouldn’t know anything about it. And since Giselle’s human I know she doesn’t know how to do the spell no matter what she told you. She’s a lot of things but…” He tried hard not to stare at Lacey but couldn’t help it. She was beautiful. “Let’s just say, we only share genetics from one side of the family.”

“I guess we’re busted.” She smiled at him again, her eyes lighting up with apparent amusement. “I guess you’ll have to practice it on me, ‘cause now I know a lot of things I’m not supposed to.”

He smiled wryly. “I would say so.” He looked out at the dancers again, uncomfortable with the fact he didn’t excel in dancing at all. “But I’m not sure I’m someone you’d want to dance with.”

“Why not?” she asked with a hint of a laugh, dazzling him with another smile and looked down at his feet. “Your feet may be large, but I can tell you don’t have two left ones.”

He laughed. She was such a breath of fresh air. “Alright. But I’m not very good. ”

“I don’t think you have to be good for this one. It’s a slow dance. All you have to do is put your arms around me and sway with the rhythm of the music.”

He grabbed her offered hand, pulled her toward the dance floor and, doing as she had instructed, took her in his arms and swayed gently to the music. A head length taller, his shoulder was the ideal height for her to rest her head upon while they moved to the music. Her alluring scent, her utterly feminine, soft contours that fit like a perfect match in his, stirred his passion. He willed his body to stop reacting, afraid if he couldn’t control it, he would embarrass them both.

“See, this isn’t so bad, is it?” She smiled up at him.

“No, it isn’t,” he agreed, hoping not to melt into a pile of goo at her feet.

“So, what are you studying in Boston? We never got that far before.” She gazed up at him as if intent on memorizing every line.

“History and computers right now. I haven’t figured anything else out yet, although my oldest brother wants me to help him design toys. But I’d rather have my masters in something I like, not what the family likes.”

She chuckled. “At least you understand that much. It takes some people years.”
“And you?”

“I’m in pre-med. I hope to be a pediatrician some day. First, I need to get out of school and earn money toward my goal. I’ll graduate with a nursing degree specializing in pediatrics within the next few months. ”

“That’s a hard thing to do. My brother Ardan is a doctor and, while he loves it very much, I know it was really difficult. But you sound as if you have a definite plan in place.”

“Anything worthwhile is always hard. Life wasn’t meant to be easy no matter who you are.”

Puzzled, he nodded. She was right of course, but the only person he had ever heard say that had been his father. He looked down at her and smiled. Lacey was a stunning woman and she had sought him out. Maybe that was a good sign. But then again, there were elven matters she wasn’t supposed to know. Giselle was always doing something she shouldn’t. He would have to get back with his cousin on the issue later.

“Coming through, coming through.” Eggther pushed his way through the dancing couples, stopping to stand next to him. “Eggther thinks you’ve found a very pretty woman.”

Excerpt #2

“Ah, hell—” Cuinn swooped down on her and captured her lips with his. He couldn’t help himself. From the moment she walked into the conference room that morning, all he could think about was having her in his arms. He should have told his father at the wedding last year about his desire for her, but her place hadn’t cemented in his heart yet. Now there would be no stopping their bonding.

Gently, he pulled back and gazed at her. “I’ll stop if you want me to.”

Lacey quickly shook her head. “No. I’ve never felt something so right.” She pulled his head back to her and his lips captured hers with no tenderness this time, just a hard, raw need.

Still, he knew she needed tender after what had happened to her this past year. Changing the tone of his onslaught, Cuinn gently sucked her bottom lip and ran his hands softly down her arms. Rewarded with a slight shiver, his body tightened in response to her body’s signals as his caress slipped around to her soft buttocks.

The rapid beat of her heart drummed against him, showing how aroused she truly was. She would be the core of his world and he wanted everything to be right for their first time, so trying hard to remember all the lessons on sex from his father. First, he put up his shields knowing some people in the city would feel the energy. Then, he snapped the glamour spell more firmly around himself because there were some things she couldn’t know until they had reached the North Pole. Cuinn only hoped she would forgive him once all had been revealed.

Breaking off the kiss, he breathed hard as he gently cupped her face in his hands. “Tell me to stop right now and I will because you have to be very, very sure you want this to happen.”

“I am…believe me…I am,” she whispered.

He pulled her to him again, his mouth descending on hers, seeking entry with his tongue. Trying to convey the promise of all he could offer, he moved closer to the bed, easing his knee between her legs. She trembled around him then began rubbing herself up and down on the rough fabric of his jeans, shivering and whimpering. He hoped she felt the way he did and slowly lowered her to the bed, following down.

“I want to touch you the way a lover does.” he said, looking into her now flushed face.

“Me, too,” she whispered and pulled him on top of her.

Her hands caressed his body through his clothes, each movement a slow torture of pleasure. All he wanted to do was rip her clothes off and do what he should have done months ago. Leaning into her, he pressed his lips against her and with just a bit of pressure, she opened her mouth and allowed him easy access inside as their tongues glided across each other, returning kiss for kiss. He slid his hand under her shirt, her skin warm to his fingertips. He yearned for this, wanted this in a way he had never wanted anything else.

His nerve endings tingled again as she pulled his bottom lip into her mouth. His body grew hotter with desire with each tug of her lips. Her hands pulled his shirt from his jeans and moved along his hard abdominal muscles then glided even further around him to squeeze his butt. He almost lost it.

“Lacey,” he murmured. “I want to feel your bare skin against mine.”

Her cheek rubbed against his in agreement.

He sighed heavily. “I need to make sure one final time that this is what you want.”

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. Can’t you feel how fast my heart is beating?”

He nodded and grabbed her hair, pulling her back to him again, kissing her fiercely. Cuinn rolled them to the side and began to undo each button on her blouse, opening it slowly to reveal a beautiful lacy bra on her sensual body. Leaning down, he kissed her flat stomach and unfastened her pants. He moved them out of the way then went even lower and she moaned in pleasure.

“That feels so good. Please-please—” she murmured.

“I intend to do just that.”

Lynn Crain
Experience the Magic
www.lynncrain.com

My Christmas Elves

Wow! Can you all believe it’s almost Christmas? I can’t! It seems as if the days have gone by so fast since the last holiday season. Time flies as you get older, or so it seems.

I’m proud to announce my fourth book in my ongoing Santa’s Elves series, An Elf’s Magic, will be unveiled December 15, 2008. Isn’t the cover just absolutely wonderful? It’s sexy and hot and oh, so elf like. LOL!

In honor of this wonderful occasion, I am giving you a sneak peek into the special world of Santa’s elves. Let me give you a little bit of the setup. Lacey Sinclair is made to forget the one encounter she had with the North Pole elves because of their fear of discovery. In this scene, she’s about to become reacquainted with the one she misses the most. I hope you enjoy!

She went into the closet and pulled out another . Lacey put the bag on the bed, opened it and was surprised to find what looked like a wedding program in it. Please join us in the celebration of marriage between Aingeal Mae Locklin and Fearghus Andrew Brodie… “Wonder where this came from?” She tossed it onto the bed and saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Cuinn had turned sheet white. She put her hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

He gave a quick, jerky shake of his head. “Nothing.”

“Ah, someone you fancied? I understand.”

He scowled at her. “You think I fancy…of course, you would…well, I don’t. One isn’t supposed to fancy one’s siblings.”

She threw up her hands at the tone of his voice. “Oh, I assumed by the look on your face it was someone you liked.” She looked at the paper again wondering why she didn’t associate the woman’s name with him. “It’s okay. Maybe you took someone you shouldn’t have or something. There have been some people in my past too. ”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. “It’s not like that at all.”

Every contour of his body was rock solid. Her breath hitched and she tried hard to control her breathing. Licking her lips, she looked up at him and lost herself. She wanted to kiss this man, to touch him like a lover, to have him inside her as quickly as she could. Before her thoughts could get the better of her, she brought to mind images of the president, of ghandi, of Mother Teresa, but nothing would to stop her passionate feelings.
****
“Ah – hell –“ Cuinn swooped down on her and captured her lips with his. He couldn’t help himself. From the moment she walked into the conference room in the morning, all he could think about was having her in his arms. He should have told his father at the wedding last year about his desire for her but her place hadn’t cemented in his heart yet. Now there would be no stopping their bonding.

Gently, he pulled back and gazed at her. “I’ll stop if you want me to.”
Lacey quickly shook her head. “No. I’ve never felt something so right.” She pulled his head back to her and his lips captured hers with no tenderness this time, just a hard, raw need.

Still, he knew she needed tender after what had happened to her this past year. Changing the tone of his onslaught, he gently sucked her bottom lip and ran his hands softly down her arms. Rewarded with a slight shiver, he knew his eyes darkened in response to her body’s signals.

The rapid beat of her heart drummed against him. He wanted everything to be right. Trying hard to remember his lessons on sex from his father, he put up his shields knowing some people in the city would feel the energy. He snapped the glamour spell more firmly around him because there were some things she couldn’t know until they had reached the North Pole. He hoped she would forgive him once all had been revealed.

Breaking off the kiss, he breathed hard as he gently cupped her face in his hands. “Tell me to stop right now and I will because you have to be very, very sure you want this to happen.”

“I am…believe me…I am,” she whispered.

He pulled her to him again, his mouth descending on hers, seeking entry with his tongue. Trying to convey the promise of all he could offer, he moved closer to the bed, Easing his knee between her legs. She trembled around him, rubbing herself up and down on the rough fabric of his jeans, then shivered. He hoped she felt the way he did. Slowly, he lowered her to the bed and followed her down.

“I want to touch you the way a lover does.”

Don’t forget the eXtasy Christmas party everyone. It will be happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are tons of prizes! Hope to see you there!

Lynn

My Creative Process: Your Glimpse Into a WIP

Okay, I’ll admit when I decided to let you all in on my creative process, my first thought was “What creative process?” See, I considered myself a pantser. You know some one who is always writing by the seat of their pants. Amazing isn’t it, since most of my stuff appears seamless?

See, years ago, I planned everything to the nth detail. And with good reason too. When you do sci-fi or fantasy, those things need to be planned out. It’s one of the reasons that the Crusin’ project is going so slow. When I write those type of stories, I usually write a section and then make sure what I did was correct for the world I had built. And that takes time. There are some stories that I’ve let languish for months just working out the right scenario in my head. If it doesn’t work for me, it certainly won’t work for you.

Now the real reason I can be a pantser today is because I have internalized most of what I used to write down. And somehow, I manage to keep all the facts straight. So basically, I play these little head games with myself whenever I’m at the computer. Sometimes I do write the answers down on a page which I then save to my idea folder or particular story folder. A lot of the times if the story is contemporary I don’t need to do that at all any more.

So just what fuels my creative process you might ask. It can be a lot of things. Some times it people, some times it’s a picture and some times it’s a title. So let’s start at the beginning with a picture this time and I’ll take you through the whole process. And yes, you are seeing the beginnings of what is known as a work-in-progress or a WIP. I always have about ten projects going at any one time because I tend to get bored easily. With all those projects I am never bored.

First, let’s look at this picture that I posted at the top. Intriguing, isn’t it? I love the colors and I just love her stance. And the first time I saw it, I laughed my ass off. Once the humor aspect was done, I started to look at it carefully. Okay…I had this wonderful picture…which brought some very naughty thoughts to mind. Now, just how was I going to use those thoughts?

I stared at it for a few minutes and came up with the title and or tag line “Where’s My Underwear Anyway?” And then I came up with another one “My Underwear is Missing – Do You Have It?” And finally, “Explain to Me Again Why You Have My Underwear?”

I really like, “Where’s My Underwear Anyway?” and decide that’s what I’m going to keep as the title of this work-in-progress. You might ask me how I determine the length of this new venture and I will honestly have to tell you that I won’t know until it’s done. That’s another joy about being a pantser. The stories call me and I answer their call. They tell me how long they are going to be and who the characters are. I follow that train of thinking and work accordingly. Most of the time I have a general word count in mind but it is no way carved in stone.

So, now I have a title and a cover picture. Thank goodness I always put together what I call concept art that goes in with a manuscript. Basically, I put something together and then let my publisher know I want either that cover or something very much like it. Yeah, my creative juices don’t just flow in the writing arena. You’ll see my concept of the cover at the end of this column.

Okay, the next thing I think about is the first line. The first line in any story is the hook. One of the best writing talks I ever went to was called ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’ and it was about the importance of having a great first line. I have given many a talk on the importance of this myself. Once I had the concept down myself, I quickly won a few first line contests put on by the various publishing houses in the late ‘90s. Unfortunately, a great first line can’t be the only thing your story has going for it.

So what am I thinking now in regards to the first line? First, I have to set the scene. We have this woman, who doesn’t know where her underwear is obviously…so who would she be talking to about this? Her girl friends more than likely, right? You betcha! I can see them sitting around a table in a quiet section of the local bar/pub discussing the turn of events. Here’s what I see for that first line and the beginning of this quirky story.

“So…you really don’t know where your underwear might be?”

I stared at my best friend across the table. It sounded so much better when I really wasn’t thinking about it. “Do you have to be so loud?” I put my head in my hands and peered through my fingers at Monica, who’s been my best friend since grade school.

“It’s not my fault that you have the mother of all hangovers. Again. How many times have I told you to stay away from the tequila?” She sighed and sipped on her hot tea. “We’re in Scotland. You’re supposed to be drinking whiskey.”

“I know, I know. It’s to-kill-ya. But please, I gotta figure out where my underwear is.” I sent her my best ‘you have to help me’ look.

“I’ll try but this is just way too funny.” She looked around the almost empty pub. “Just think…this place was the scene of an…underwear napping.” She laughed then winked at me.

“This really isn’t funny, you know.” I lay my head down on my hands. Just thinking about it was making me queasy.

“You’re on vacation, why are you so worried?” She shrugged her shoulders in that typical Monica way.

I looked up at her and groaned. “It’s a working vacation. I’m a lawyer for heaven sakes. I’m supposed to be a model citizen.” I really wished I could do more than just look at her with distain. What I really wanted to do was wring her neck and get that smug expression off her face. “And I’m here with bunch of damn lawyers!” My voice rose and my head immediately began throbbing like a percussion band. I really needed to watch that, I thought as rubbed my forehead.

Monica sat back in her chair and sipped her tea daintily once again. “You really need to get into this Scottish tea. It’ll do wonders for that aching head.”

I grimaced and wished she hadn’t reminded me. My law firm was an international company and when we found out an important conference on international law was being held in Edinburgh, Scotland, we jumped on the chance. Monica and I had toured the continent right out of law school but of all the places we went to, Scotland was our favorite. We had accrued plenty of vacation time and it only took a little time to convince our employers that it would be in their best interest to let us go to this particular conference.

“Would you just quit it?” I mumbled into the table.

“What was that? You don’t remember any of it?”

I looked up with what I hoped was the most ill and forlorn look I could give her. “I wish you’d just stop it.”

She pursed her lips before sitting her tea back on the table. “You know you really shouldn’t be so worried.”

“Why not? Half the lawyers here have already tried to jump my bones and the other half wished they had tried. How do you get away with them not slobbering all over you? And you know how I get when I ‘m drinking tequila.”

She let out a long, low whistle. “Hon, I’m not the all American blonde woman here. And you betcha, I totally understand better than anyone just how you are when you drink that poison. But really, you don’t need to worry as I know who has them.”

This was a shining spot in an otherwise dim day. “You do? Who?”

She smiled at me then with that all knowing bitch smile she uses when she knows she has the superior position. “Yeah, I do.” Monica paused for a minute for effect. If nothing else the woman was dramatic and very effective in the courtroom.. “The stud has them.”

I let my head thump back down on the table. This was worse than I thought.

Not bad for a first try. And yeah, I put this together just for this column. I might tweak it a little but it’s pretty good right out of the chute. I read it to my husband who was standing over me, even he got a kick out of it and that’s pretty hard to do. I’ve decided to do something so totally different with this story that might warrant me passing it off to an agent. We’ll see.

Next time we’ll talk about what I do next in the process. I promise not to leave you hanging too long! Later…and have a great week.

Lynn

Erotic Romance, Writing and the Dixie Chicks

Growing up a kid’s life is usually defined by their parents. Well, mine were very country. I can remember being on my Daddy’s shoulders during some of the greatest singers in the genre at the Grand Ole Opery in Bainbridge, Ohio. Some of those old melodies that I heard then can still waft through my house especially when I write. There’s nothing like those good old country songs to get one in the mood.

Sometimes.

Tonight, I fell asleep in front of the TV as I commonly do when I’m on a writing spree. I’ll work and work then take a break when before I know it, I’m stumbling to bed again because I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. I’ve always been a late night person and while it doesn’t surprise me it is sometimes disconcerting. This time though, instead of dragging myself up, I was riveted to what was on the TV. I had apparently fallen asleep to some documentary that I was watching on historical political events. What I woke up to was something totally different. You’d think I’d have something better to sink my teeth into. LOL!

Still, this one completely captured my attention. While I no longer listen to country music any more unless I’m nostalgic or just really can’t get into the mood, I do listen to singers like Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Shedaisy and the Dixie Chicks. What I was seeing on my big screen was a documentary about three women and something that because known as ‘the incident’ to them and the rest of the world. An incident that everyone by now realize should never have been blown out of proportion because what was said has been found to be relatively true in the years since it has happened.

And while I don’t want this blog to turn into a political forum at all, it made me wonder about my own chosen career and just how it can hinge on the whims of the reading public just like theirs hung on the whims of a listening public. There have been times when I tell people I write erotic romance and something between horror and disbelief cross their face. When that happens I have to grit my teeth sometimes and just smile because when all is said and done, I will write what I write for a variety of reasons.

Now some of you may ask ‘How can you love smut?’ to which I would reply ‘How can I not?’ I mean everyone has a different perception of what porn is, what smut is and what romance is. Mine just happens to be a little bit broader than most. But here’s the key to the whole thing and it something most of you don’t know. I write just as much non-erotic stuff as I do the erotic venture. Yup, you heard me right. Again, I can hear you say ‘Huh? What are you talking about?’

What, indeed. The bottom line is that I write what I love at that moment. Some days it’s just as hard for me to get into a sex scene as it is the writer who has never written one. I truly understand that as I write, I am not the one in control but my characters are. If they don’t want to have sex, they won’t. If they want to shoot someone, they will. And if they need to defend themselves against the next wave of alien bloodsuckers, they will do it superbly.

I write what is in my heart at the very moment I put the words onto the page and not a second before I’m supposed to. I’m one of the few writers who won’t write to a market because it’s popular nor will I be swayed against finishing something that isn’t the latest trend or fashion. I need to be passionate about what I write and if I can’t be, the piece may never get started or even finished for that matter.

At a talk I gave this past week, one of the topics I spoke to was career. I’ve been around a long time in the romance field and I have always written the ‘hot’ stuff long before it was in vogue. I can remember the very first time that Sandra brown put in the words ‘tongue f**k’ and that book hit the best seller list. And the very first BDSM book I ever read was in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s by a science fiction author named Sharon Green and the book was ‘The Mind Guest’ another one who made it to the NY Times bestseller list. The moment I finished the book I told my husband that someday I would write a book just like it. And I did in my own way.

I used to tell people to write what they know until I was corrected by a bestselling author who told me to write what I could imagine. I’ll take it one step even further and say one should write what they know along with what they can imagine. Only then will you get the full effect and range of your writing.

I’ll end this by saying thank you to the Dixie Chicks for giving me this blog idea. I was always on their side about ‘the incident. They’re good at what they do and they won’t comprise who they are to get it done their way.

Just like me. I will always write what I love no matter what genre.

Later…

Lynn